The World of Night
by Proxy424326
Summary: In a world where vampires dominate,Jack's world seemed perfect inside the protected city of Town,when he got into the university of his dreams.But when his father gets struck in a huge debt,he has to make the choice to be sold as a blood slave to a vampire to save his family. So what does life mean in a world of night? And if he were to find freedom, can he pay the price for it?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi people, this is my second story. Been having it on my mind for a while now, the first multi chapter work I'm undertaking. The first chapter explains the world and the characters just as Jack gets his college entrance results. So please read it and give me your feedback.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

Jack Kiersted raced across the pavement. Today his heart was racing too; it was the day the results had been announced for the entrance exam he had taken for college and he had been accepted for admission and had won a scholarship to TUSAR (Tareton University of Science And Research, Tareton referring to the ancient philosopher who envisioned the University, no one knew for sure if he was a human or a vampire though each race claimed him as belonging to theirs), the most prestigious university one could ever dream of getting into. Such an event would have been an occasion of joy for anyone, but to him it meant more than that. It meant he was set for life. Quite literally. His father had made it quite clear to him that it would be impossible for them to pay his college fee and he understood the weight of those words very well. It was not that they were poor, in fact they could even be considered belonging to the middle class, with all of life's essentials but not the luxuries, but recently his father had been facing a lot of problems in business (which by the way included selling parts for automobiles), so much so that he had to borrow money putting himself as collateral. His father had AB-ve blood, something only he and his father shared in his entire family. Since it was a very rare variety and quite liked by the vampires, you could get quite a lot by putting it as collateral.

He had been against it from the start but his father had been hard pressed and had had no other choice. But now that he had won this scholarship it meant father had one burden off his shoulders. He had always wanted to pursue fluid mechanics as a carrier; physics had always been his favourite subject and if he had missed this scholarship, he might have been forced to give up his education.

But his efforts had paid off; he had managed to not only qualify but had secured rank 2nd amongst all candidates who took the exam, human and vampire alike. Not to mention the youngest to qualify, being only 16 as TUSAR didn't have age limits on who took the exam. If you can pass their entrance exam you are eligible for their courses, age didn't matter one bit was what they believed. So if everything went well, he should be leaving by next month or so.

His only fears were for his dad's business, right now he was getting a huge order of parts for a new model of car, and if that order turned out well, they may be able to make it. But if things didn't turn out well, his father would be taken to the Blood processing plants and drained till the blood equalled the amount borrowed. That thought in itself was unthinkable to him. If it were to happen what his family would do, his father being the only earning member. What would his mother do? How would she take care of Paul and Sara, his siblings? Paul was 13 years and Sara 10, both completely dependent on their parents. It was death sentence to them all. Well not to him since the University would pay for his lodgings, food & even pay him a certain sum at the end of each month for his other expenses and he was bound to get a job after completing his education in such an esteemed university. But still his heart couldn't bear to think about his family that way.

But right now was not the time to think about that, he could already see the house in a distance, so right now was the time to give them the good news, especially his father who had been so upset over not being able to spend for his education.

"Hey Jack" he turned on hearing the familiar voice. A skinny boy with straw coloured hair came running towards him. It was his best friend Tom Brighton.

"Hey Tom" he cried waving as the boy came to a stop before him.

"So how'd it go? Did you make it?" he asked tom.

"Yup, made it all right" but his eyes dropped to the ground and he didn't quite look all that pleased.

"Great, then what's the matter pal? "Jack asked clapping him on the back.

"Well I got the 66th rank" Tom said in somewhat dejected tones as they started walking along the neatly paved and somewhat bland streets of Town towards his house.

A frown appeared on Jack face. Tom had made it fine, but with this rank it would be difficult for him to get the course of his choice. TUSAR had 1050 seats which were further divided into around 97 courses, each having a certain number of seats. Tom wanted to pursue organic chemistry, which had only 30 seats. So for him to get into that course almost 37 people before must choose another domain.

"Well cheer up man." He said trying to sound bright. "You made it; you are assured a place in TUSAR isn't that enough?"

"Well I suppose so... I just have to keep praying for luck I guess "he quietly shaking his head…"So what about you? What rank did you get?"

"Well..." he said nonchalantly "Its 2nd rank" he added in deliberate bored tones, watching Tom's reaction right now would be priceless.

"What? "Tom's eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened to a perfect "O". "You gotta be kidding"

"Nope" he said a smile creeping upon his lips in spite of himself…"That's right".

"Man that's totally cool. You could get into any course you want, I feel so jealous, though I must admit I expected this all along, what with the way you were studying and all. So by how many points did you miss the first rank?"

"Three" Jack said sighing.

"Awl, man…that's too bad. It's a just miss"

Jack nodded. Winners and losers in TUSAR were decided by a thin margin. The entrance exam itself was a complex and multidimensional process involving several layers of filtering, including problems in advanced physics and chemistry, mathematics, quantitative aptitude, logical puzzles, a test of knowledge in zoology & botany and not to mention a psychometric analysis & stress test to boot. The whole examination procedure took nearly a month and if a candidate were to clear all of this he/she still wasn't accepted until they qualified a physical evaluation by TUSAR 's physician, since health was considered an important criteria for the full functioning of the brain…though the vampires were exempted from it, there being no such thing as "health" for them.

So that makes you eligible for the Cash Award huh?" Tom interrupted his thoughts.

"Yup, that's right." He said. The first three to qualify the exam were given a Cash Award…"Our family could use a little money right now…though I wish I had come 1st …"

"Awl, man" Tom sighed..." Here I am with 66th rank and praying to get into my course, and you're upset you didn't come 1st? "

"Come on Tom, if you missed the 1st rank by just a few points wouldn't you be feeling as well?"

"Ok, ok I get it." Tom said holding his hands up…"So who _did _come 1st? Human or Vampire?"

"Human…Name's Glen McAllen…Aged around 3o I guess. Don't tell me you didn't look it up?"

"Well I was kinda upset with my rank and all, didn't pay much attention to anything I guess…and 3rd?"

"Vampire…Petrutia. Physical age 24…actual around 70 I think…"

"Well doesn't that make us the youngest candidates to qualify?"

"Yup that's right" he said quietly…He was sixteen and Tom seventeen…the youngest two to qualify ever the previous record being 18…."We're heroes Tom…at least in Town."

Town was the name given to the city of humans who were protected under law and did not have to pay Blood Tax. Each one of the families or their ancestors here had done something to be recognized by the Government to be exempted from the annual levy of blood that was paid as tax to the vampires. Jack's family had Tax exemption for 12 generations due to his Great great (he didn't know for sure how many greats) grandfather saving the life of a vampire. And Tom's family had an exemption period of four generations.

"Well I guess we have to be really grateful for what we have" he said turning to look at Tom….

But Tom backed away.

"Hey don't scare me like that man" he said holding up his hand….the sun was setting and the light had reflected sharply across Jack's eyes. He had a peculiar eye colour, it was a rich golden yellow with a tinge of copper-brown mixed in it, in a way that seemed make his eyes look like that of a cat's. So when the sun reflected on them the effect was to make them look so much brighter like fire or the eyes of a predator at night, this was further emphasized by his hair which was a thick mass of pure jet black, in sharp contrast to his pale skin, the combination along with a lanky body and chiselled features made him look rather attractive, but that didn't mean his eyes didn't make people uncomfortable and even his close friend Tom wasn't an exception.

"Hey sorry pal…"he said backing away…"Didn't know it'd still bother you…"

"Well it still bothers your mom..."

"Sorry…" he said sighing, he didn't know why he had this features, his entire family had a combination and blond and brown hair. And they all had either grey or green eyes. His father always said it was a genetic thing and an ancient ancestor might have had these features.

"Don't be… sometimes it's what looks best about you…make's the girls crazy about you …" Tom said with a sly smile.

"Not my fault…"

"Doesn't mean I'm not jealous through… you got the looks and the brains man...not fair" he said wistfully.

"Well you don't look too bad yourself…Chesley's loves you…"he said, Chesley was Tom's girlfriend…

"Well yeah…I suppose… well speaking of that you gotta find yourself a girl man…now that you're free…"

"Maybe…well I've never given it much thought before; with how worried I was about getting into TUSAR …you know our family's condition…."

"Well Laurine's crazy about you…what do you think of her?" Laurine was a girl at their class who had a huge crush on Jack.

"Hmmm…I don't know…never really felt anything for her… she's not my type I guess…."

Tom rolled his eyes.

"The hottest girl in school's not your type!"

"Well she's pushy and sometimes seems plain dumb…I'd like someone more on my wavelength I suppose."

Though she looked fine, it had always seemed to him that she never really had any depth to her character and was only after him because of his looks, in other words he'd classify her as the "dumb blonde" though she had recently coloured her hair pink, a disgusting colour if you asked him.

Tom rolled his eyes again.

"Now the genius starts talking!"

"Ok ok…let's cut thie topic and talk about something else….We are leaving next month right?" He said hurriedly.

"Yeah we'll first have to choose our courses and a week later we'll join the actual course."

"I wonder how it's gonna be?" he wondered quietly.

"Well do you even have to ask?" Tom said in excited tones "It's almost a 100 times as big as Town and they've got all sorts of equipment' s and the best professors in the worl-"

"Not to mention some of the things you only get to see there" Jack cut him off…

"Like the giant artificial ocean they created…for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion…"

"Its 90000ft deep and with perfect salt concentrations too…"

"And their botanical garden is the only place where _diaphanum lux_ grows…"

"Isn't it a plant that's transparent but glows at night?"

"Yup"

"I also heard the library is cut out from a whole mountain…and some of the reading rooms are actual caves."

"How cool could that be?"

"Totally"

"And we have sunlight too! Just like in Town"

Jack nodded.

Sunlight was usually blocked off from most cities, due to its harmful nature to vampires. There were some exceptions like Town or TUSAR and he had heard of some human cities wealthy enough to afford sunlight, but they were generally rare and some even believed them to be myths. And of course the inhabitable wilderness that lay to the north of Trantil Mountains was always sunlight filled, but there were no humans or vampires to feel its effects. He had never actually seen how it was done, since he had never left Town but he had heard there was some gigantic membrane like roof made of some metal that covered cities and blocked off sunlight. He shuddered at the thought of living in such a city.

"And you know what the best part is? We don't have to pay blood tax…. ever." Tom said interrupting his thoughts.

Even though TUSAR admitted both humans and vampires extreme caution was taken to separate the two and make sure one did not harm the other. Since only the top intellectual brains attended the University it was considered a loss to society to shorten their lives and was the reason why humans accepted there were exempted from Blood Tax, which was extremely lucky for Tom, as the Brigton's Exemption period ended with Tom's generation…which meant had he not been selected for TUSAR he would have to pay the tax once he was 18.

"Yeah that's right…I'm happy for you Tom, I truly am." He said with genuine relief. He know how much Tom had been worried about this though he had tried not to show it…and he only felt true happiness that his friend wouldn't have to suffer the way the rest of the humans did outside of Town.

"You know I think we truly are lucky." Tom said with a small smile…"In this world where humans work as food for vampires and even those with regular jobs are forced to pay Blood Tax …makes you wonder…aren't we the privileged ones? "

A small smile crept over Jack's face…"you're right Tom…so let's just make the best use of everything God gave us" he said.

They had reached his home, a plain white building with a tiny lawn, not too facy to look at, but comfortable to live in.

"Come on Tom" he said clapping him on the back…"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea? I have the reference books I borrowed from you."

"No, no…my parents will be dying to know if I've made it…I gotta give them the news."

"Ok…see you later then." He said turning to walk into the gate.

"Wait…"Tom cried after him…"What do you say we go to "Stop & Shop" this Saturday to check out some things we might need for TUSAR ?

"Sure…see you on Saturday then" he said waving…

"Sure…Bye" Tom waved back as he turned to 2nd street where he lived.

He too hurried across to his home, his pace picking up as he imagined his parent's reaction to this unexpected news.

* * *

Sara opened the door, her blond hair was tied back in her signature ponytail and her pale green eyes shone bright with anticipation.

"Congratulations" she shouted excitedly smiling at him.

He blinked taken by surprise. Were they all expecting this news?

"How'd you know?" he asked her….

"Well, its only expected the way you kept studying." Paul answered him, as he came running down the stairs. He was a chubbier version of Sara and was a bit stout in the middle. Unlike Jack who was slim and tall, Paul looked cute and chubby, but he more than made up for it with his cheekiness. Jack could see he was wearing his favourite yellow Tee shirt, which was again getting tight, still it something which he wore only on special occasions, like this.

"I see…"Jack said grinning wildly, today it was just seemed so hard to hold his smile even for a second…"And I thought I would surprise you guys…"he said shaking his head.

Paul smirked…"Surprise? Hardly….What I am surprised however is that you are still alive…Honestly the way you kept working…all night long, without sleeping or eating…I thought you were gonna have a brain attack or something…"

"Oh, shut up Paul…"Sara snapped at him…"there's no such thing as a brain attack"

"Oh, there is, you're just too dumb to know that…" he snapped back, tugging her pony tail…Sara always hated it when he did this…

"Oh Paul, you jerk." She cried snapping his hand off and pushing him back...

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Oh, give it a break you guys. At least today"

Sara smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm so happy for you Jack" Sara said hugging him. "I'm so proud of my brother."

He hugged her back.

"Thanks, Sara" he said smiling softly...

"So what's your rank? Paul asked

"Second"

Paul rolled his eyes.

"It's not fair, man. Now everyone's gonna expect me to do the same" he said sighing graciously.

And before Jack could reply, opened the door and bolted out.

Jack ran after him.

"Hey where you going?" he shouted after him.

"To Sam's" He said turning back, Sam was his best friend "C'mon isn't it obvious? I gotta brag about this news to all my friends."

"Okay. Then be sure to tell them about my greatness and what wonderful brother you've got." Jack cried after him with a sly smile. Paul wanting to brag about him was a rare event, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

"Only if you promise to show me around TUSAR " Paul said waving before racing out on his bike.

"Then don't forget to tell them I'm your role model too." Jack cried waving back.

"Never! I don't lie" Paul yelled, as he passed the gate.

"That itself is a lie!" Jack cried after him, chucking to himself before getting back inside.

"Mom and Dad are waiting for you upstairs" Sara said as he entered.

"Okay" he said running up the stairs. Something smelled good as he passed the kitchen, probably his mother had made something special for dinner, he thought smiling.

* * *

His father smothered him in a warm hug just as he entered.

"How'd you know dad?" he asked returning it.

"I don't have to know anything to love my son, Jack. "he said dropping a small thin parcel on Jack's hand.

It was a long rectangular packet wrapped in silver wrapping paper.

"Go on open it" his mother said smiling.

He opened it to reveal a long thin black box, made of some wood, ebony most probably judging by its colour, held with bronze clasps. He undid it to reveal a thin black pen resting on a dark red velvet rest. Its body was made of shiny black enamel; and there was a ornate silver metal work of some bird with its long wings spreading across the length of the pen. The cap was of the same black material, with tiny silver stones set across a silver clip, so that when closed the stone formed the eye of the bird. There was a larger silver stone encrusted at the top of the cap. It looked very expensive.

"It's a Phoenix…We had it custom made for you…" his mother said smiling.

"Yup, nib crafted with silver and coated with rhodium and ruthenium, aerodynamically integrated into barrel." His father said with a gleam of pride in his eyes.

"But dad…custom made? It must have been expensive…"

"Does it matter? Do you like it?" his mother asked in a gentle voice.

"Yes…but still what if I hadn't made it? It would've been a waste…"

"No Jack, this gift is not because you made it into TUSAR . This is a reward for your effort. Whether or not you made it, the effort remains the same and by God I know how much you worked for it" his father replied smiling.

"Oh dad, thank you so much" he said hugging his father again.

"But why the Phoenix? He asked pulling back.

His father looked kinda embarrassed.

"Go on dear, tell him" his mother gently prodded him.

"Uhm...I know it's kinda dramatic…"he began in a low voice…"But I thought it symbolized you…you never give up, no matter the odds and you always rise out of any situation…even when I said I couldn't pay.."

"Okay dad I get it…"he said laughing…his father sometimes got a bit sentimental, but that was one of the things he had always liked about him. His father, an average man with his flaws, his love, his mistakes, his desire for his son's happiness…at that moment looking at his father's slightly embarrassed face lit up with a small smile and his mother's patient face he felt so much love for his family and so at peace with his life that things just seemed to be happening straight out of a dream.

Horrors of course awaited him, as did the protagonist of any story, but right now everything was perfect in his tiny world inside of Town and as of now that was all he cared.

* * *

**A/N:**

So that's it people, the first chapter to just give an introduction to the world and the characters. Think of TUSAR as kinda like Harvard. The ultimate dream for any human or vampire. This is just a briefing. The actual story and all the blood would only begin in the following chapters. So review and tell me your opinions, as I really value them and it would really encourage me to keep continuing.

Also _diaphanum lux _means transparent light in latin_._


	2. Coffee

**CHAPTER 2**

Jack picked absently at his toast, his mom was at the kitchen fixing his eggs, Paul and Sara had already gone to school by the time he had got up and his dad had gone on an overnight trip to visit Markus. Markus was Town's Mediator. A Mediator's job was to act kind of like a broker between humans and vampires usually for activities such as the exchange of goods or loans. Each human city or settlement had a Mediator who was a lampyre, cross between human and vampire. Lampyre's usually acted as Mediators, in fact were the only race that was allowed to do so. But it was a mystery as to what they actually were or what they ate. In Town some said they consumed both normal food and blood and that they were not affected by sunlight. But no one really knew for sure, since Markus was the only lampyre they knew and he always visited at night and never accepted any offers of hospitality. Markus usually got his father his business orders, for which his father had gone again to meet him. So he was alone at the table and was at no hurry to finish his breakfast.

His mom brought him his eggs.

"Would you like some juice or should I bring some coffee?" She asked placing them on the table.

"Juice would be fine mom, watermelon, with lots of ice" he said absently, it was summer and the sun was blazing hot. Still he supposed it was better than living with no sun at all.

"Okay" his mom said opening the refrigerator.

"So when's dad coming back?" he asked applying some honey on his toast.

"Well, he said he'd be back by early morning today. I expect he'll be back any moment now."

"I see…" he said frowning. He wondered what his father had gotten into. Lately his father had been travelling a lot, mostly to the "Cities of Night" a name given to the cities inhabited by the vampires. Had not been very interactive with the family either, and more than once he had caught him staring off into nothing for minutes on end with a vacant look on his face, not even hearing when he had called out to him. And whenever he had asked him about it, he had always seemed remote and the answer had always been the same. Regarding the business. He was beginning to get very worried.

"So what's it about mom?" He asked his mother. If his father wasn't willing to share anything with him then at least his mother ought to know something.

"What's what about?" his mother asked pouring the blood red liquid in a glass and popping some ice cubes into it.

"Dad! He's been awfully busy lately. And almost always seems immersed in some thought."

"It's about the busi-"his mother began.

"I know mom, it's about the business" Jack cut her off exasperated. "It's always about the business isn't it? But what's the problem? He's been travelling a lot lately. And he's been so distant when I ask him about it. What's wrong?" he finished impatiently. If there was any chance to get some answers it was now. Since his father wasn't here and he was alone with her, his mother might actually tell him something.

His mother stared awkwardly, a slightly confused look on her face, at being cornered.

"Well…"she said regaining her composure in a slightly stern voice that told him to know his place…"your father has a lot of things on his mind, the least of which concerns you. If he has problems, he has problems. But none of them you can do anything to help with. So I suggest you keep your nose where it belongs" she finished crisply.

Jack blinked surprised and a little hurt. His mother had never answered him so bluntly, it was as though he was treading on a very sensitive subject.

Seeing a tinge of hurt appear on his face, she added in softer tones...

"Jack, your father and I will take care of any problems that might arise for our family. So you just concentrate on enjoying these last golden days you'll spend in Town before leaving for TUSAR and leave the rest to us" she said gently running her fingers through his hair, but he could detect an undercurrent of uncertainty (or was it fear) in her voice which made him uncomfortable no matter how reassuring she tried to sound.

"Okay mom…sorry" he said uncertainly.

She nodded back smiling.

"So what are your plans for today?" she asked briskly putting the juice can back in the refrigerator.

But before he could answer the door opened and his father entered. He and his mom looked at each other before turning to look at his father. One look at his tired face, the dark circles under his eyes, the painted smile on his face and the desperate look in his eyes was enough. Enough for Jack to immediately tell something was wrong, no terribly wrong in fact.

The clocked ticked slowly on the wall, the hypnotic tick of each second bringing him a bit closer to the most dreaded day of his life, the day his father would be drained to pay the loan. He stared at it transfixed trying to forget his surroundings, forget what was happening to him, to his family. But it was impossible, the lights still burning in his parent's room was proof, the occasional sob he heard from his mother was proof, the fact that he was still awake and sitting like a statue was also proof.

It had happened at last, though it took so much time to sink in. The new model car "Elox" for which his father had brought in a huge supply of parts had been cancelled the cost overhead estimated high. The bastard Markus had been so sure about it, had assured him the contract.

Of course it had been too good to be true, a new model of car having been anounced just at the nick of time and a big order coming to his father just when he needed it. Something had to go wrong.

Now not just the order but the model itself had been cancelled!

And his father could not even sue the company because the contract was not yet signed.

He wondered how it would be for someone to have their greatest dreams and worst fears come true at the same time. Was it possible for something to taste both sweet and bitter at the same time? He wondered trying to list out such foods, even if it was to take his mind off reality for some time. No such foods came into his mind for a while; he had almost given up when suddenly something popped up in his mind. Coffee. It was such a common everyday food that he wondered how he had missed it.

And thinking of coffee, he wondered if he should make some, it wasn't like he was gonna sleep anytime soon anyway. And doing such mundane tasks always helped in times of stress.

And so he poured water in pot, waiting for it to boil. Idly looking at his reflection in it, he couldn't help but wonder how similar he looked to his father, the eyes and hair aside everything was the same, from the sharp angles of his face to the high cheekbones, they even had the same blood group.

The same blood group? He gasped, his eyes widening in sudden realization as his entire frame froze with the weight of it. It took a few moments for him to actually register the thought but when he did, his eyes narrowed in conviction. He took a deep breath his mind already made.

The water had started boiling, he looked at it; his once clear reflection was now hazy and distorted by the bubbles. He smiled a small, dark smile. If this was how it was going to be then so be it.

He made his way to his parent's room, a cup of hot coffee in hand, he could hear some sort of argument behind the door and his mother's sobbing. He knocked softly.

For a moment there was a complete silence behind the door as his parents realized someone had been listening to them.

"Dad" he said softly…"It's me, can I come in?"

There was a pause.

"Okay Jack, come in" his father said after a few seconds.

He entered closing the door behind him. His mom was sitting on the bed, the sheets a mess around her, her eyes puffy and red from crying. His dad sat beside her on a chair and looked up at him, his face expressionless like a zombie.

"Dad…"he said tentatively…"I know what happened…And I have a suggestion…"

His father smiled, not a real one, but an amused and vexed smile, like that of a man who had nothing more to lose.

"What is it Jack?" he asked quietly.

"You see dad" he said quietly…"You and I…we have the same blood…so why not I take your place…"

"Take my place? What do you mean?" his father asked warily.

"You see…I've been thinking I can become a blood slave…"

His father's eyes widened incredulously.

"What?" his father cried leaping out of his chair…"Are you out of your mind?"

"But dad what other solution do we have?"

"No"…his father cried again…" Don't even joke about it. You're too young."

"That's exactly the point dad; I'll fetch a higher price than you."

"No. Don't be stupid, it's not something you can help with. You have TUSAR…you've a wonderful life ahead of you …"

"But dad it all means nothing to me if you die and mom has to suffer…I'll never be able to live my life guilt free…"

"But this is my fault….you don't have to pay for it…"

"But mom has to, and Sara and Paul too. How will they survive dad?" His mom did not have a technical degree like his father who was a Mechanical Engineer, so it would be extremely difficult for her to find a decent job.

"We've been discussing about that. Your mom can become a Donor."

Jacks eyes widened in disbelief. Donors worked in factories and were different from blood slaves in that they were paid wages monthly for their blood and could quit anytime they want, whereas blood slaves are bound to the family that purchases them for life and usually had much shorter lives. Still it wasn't exactly a model way to live.

"No dad, that isn't fair. You know mom only has A+ve blood and it won't even fetch enough to sustain herself. How will she take care of Paul and Sara?"

"They have to go to a Government Home." a Government Homes were run for orphaned or homeless human children.

"But they are run by vampires and if they go there their exemption will be cancelled and they would have to pay blood tax once they grow up. You can't be serious about that dad."

"Well every kid outside of Town has to pay Blood Tax. I don't see what's so horrible about that. What other choice do I have?"

"You do have the choice dad. You have me. If only yo-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" his father shouted so angrily that he staggered back taken aback, too shocked to even notice the scalding hot coffee spilling over his hand.

"Do you know what sort of life a blood slave leads? Have you ever felt the bite of a vampire? You will be drained continuously every day, and if you struggle you'll be punished extremely harshly. The average length of a vampire's fang is 4 inches; imagine being pierced by two of them every single day, every hour. Can you bear the pain? The maximum life of a Blood Slave is six months and that too if they drain you carefully. It's an extremely slow and painful way to die. In fact death is the only solace for a blood slave." He finished breathlessly…

Jack stared at his father stupefied. He did not know all that and now that his father mentioned it, it sounded a very fearful prospect. Maybe Government Homes weren't so bad after all. And TUSAR had been his childhood dream. But then, what about his father? Could he let him die just to save his own skin?

But before he could reply or even make up his mind he heard his mother.

"Then do you propose we all die David? She asked his father in a tone that said she was at the limit of her endurance. They both looked at her startled. She had been so quiet the entire time that they had forgotten she was even there.

"Though I despise myself for saying so, Jack is right. All your "plans" for our survival are bullshit and you know that. It may sound heartless coming from a mother, but from a practical standpoint I think Jack's suggestion might be the only way to save our family" she finished firmly, but averting her eyes from her son.

His dad started shouting something at her, but Jack could only stare at his mother stupefied, a short plump woman in her mid-thirties, with a round good natured face, unable to believe his ears. Did it really come from her? His mother who had always been patient and kind, who had never once forgotten to bring him coffees and teas at night when he had been preparing for TUSAR, who had always argued with his father on his behalf. Did his mother just say that? That must only mean how desperate she was, how serious this situation is.

"Mom" he said slowly, trying not to let the hurt he felt seep into his voice…"You're right…I will do as you say…after all it was my idea…"

His father looked at him incredulously and opened his mouth to say something, but he cut him off.

"I know what you're going to say dad. " he said forcing the words out with difficulty, trying to keep his voice study…."I'm not looking to live like a king when I become a blood slave, if I'm gonna die then so be it, it's better than watching you die and knowing I could have prevented it…

"But TUSAR…"his father began…

"It's Okay dad, I'll think that I never took that exam…"

"Jack…"his mother said slowly her voice cracking…"I'm a monster for asking you to do this…just when you got your dream…but I have no choice…I'm a mother and a wife…" she said her voice shaking…"I don't want to see my husband die, nor watch two of my children suffer…" she burst into tears unable to go on…

Jack sat beside her and gently took her hand.

"Mom..." he said softly…"I understand…do you think I want dad to die? Or watch Paul and Sara being orphaned? I would be a coward to run away to TUSAR abandoning you guys…so it's not your fault…" he said gently squeezing her hand.

Both of them looked at his father, expecting his answer.

David looked at his wife Sterla, her face streaked with tears but with a definitive look on her face, she did not want him to die and deep inside a small unbiased part of him knew he did not as well. Though he was ashamed to admit it, deep inside he knew he had been longing for something like this, for a saviour. So when Jack offered what he might have been praying for (even unknown to himself) he had tried to oppose the idea, tried to deny it, not just to his son but to himself as well. He had acted all noble and hypocritical, but his wife had not. She had been extremely honest, no matter how selfish her words might sound and for that he respected her.

He then looked at his son, at his stubborn face, at his hands holding the half spilled coffee cup, still growing, still young, how young he was, too young to bear burdens, too young to pay for his father's sins, he felt a small lump rising at his throat, how young he was. He swallowed with difficulty and blinked back his tears and slowly, very slowly as if in a dream nodded his accession.

**A/N:**

So people thats the second chapter. Now you know what Lampyres are.


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